The Story of Jesus The Christ
Helen Braun Hojt
© Helen Braun Hojt, 2019
Created with Ridero smart publishing system
THE STORY OF JESUS
THE CHRIST
Adapted for Children
PREFACE
The story of the life of Christ has been written time and
time again, yet it is one that is ever fresh and attractive.
Little children love to hear it if it is told in language which
their minds are able to grasp, and the aim of this book has
been to tell the story so simply that the youngest child can
enjoy it because he can understand it.
The account recorded in the four gospels has been closely
followed, and the order of events is that accepted by the greatest
thinkers and writers. Many of the laws and customs of the
times have been introduced to make the text more clear; and,
that the lessons taught may be more attractive and better
remembered, the book is abundantly illustrated.
The writer does not claim originality, but, knowing that all
children love to read or hear a good story, she has tried to tell
this old, old story in a way that will make them love it and
absorb into their own beings the elements of true living which
only the life and teachings of the Christ can give.
THE STORY OF JESUS-THE CHRIST
INTRODUCTION
Far away over the sea, on the continent of Asia, is the land
of Palestine, which is also called the Holy Land. If you look
for it on the map you will find that it is a very small country.
Yet, though it is so small, such great things have happened
there that all the world knows of Palestine. This story will tell
you why it is called the Holy Land, and why so many people
love it.
Very many years ago there lived in Palestine a man by the
name of Jacob, who was the son of Isaac, and the grandson of
Abraham. He had twelve sons, each of whom was the head of a
large family called a tribe. The twelve tribes together made a
nation which was known either as the Jews, or as the Children
of Israel. Israel was another name given to Jacob after he was
a man.
The Jews were better than any other people living at that
time, just because they worshipped God. There were a good
many people then, as there are now, who did not know about the
true God in heaven. They made images, or idols, of wood or
stone, which they called gods. They prayed to these idols, asking
them to take care of them. They even thanked these gods
for giving them life and health, and so many beautiful things.
They were heathen, for that is what we call those who pray to
idols.
2
INTRODUCTION
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were not heathen; they knew
and loved the true God, and taught their children to do the
same. But the Jews were not always good. They did wicked
things over and over again, but after they had done wrong they
were sorry for it, and asked God to forgive them. Then they
started over again, and tried to do better.
When Jacob was an old man, he and his children and grand¬
children went to live in Egypt, and lived there happily a good
many years. But the time came when the Children of Israel
were not happy; for the kings who were then on the throne were
not kind to them. They made slaves of them, and the Jews had
to work so hard and so long that they almost forgot their God.
But at last a child was born who had a different life from the
rest of his people. He was named Moses, and was brought up
by the kings daughter, in the kings palace. He was very wise
and learned. He thought a great deal about his people. He
could see how badly they were treated, and how unhappy they
were, and his greatest wish was to set them free and take them
back to Palestine. The time came when God allowed him to do
this.
It was hard to get so many people started, and harder yet to
make them do as God would have them. They found fault with
everything if things did not please them: with Moses, and even
with God. There were many years of very hard work for Moses
and their other leaders before they were at last settled in their
own country, in homes of their own.
For a great many years God was really their king. He gave
them laws through Moses, and all their leaders were chosen by
God. They all talked with God, and learned from him what to
do for the people. But the time came when they wanted to be
like the other nations around them and have a king whom they
could see, and who could go before their army when it went to war.
INTRODUCTION
3
The first king was not a good raler; but after he died a young
man named David came to the throne, and David was a good
king. He tried to do as well as he could himself, and tried to
teach the people to obey the laws of their God.
David belonged to the tribe of Judah, and was born in Beth¬
lehem. He was only a shepherd boy when he was chosen to be
king, and for that reason he is often called the Shepherd King.
Although he left his country home and went to Jerusalem to live
when he was quite a young man, he never forgot the lessons he
learned in the fields of Bethlehem. He wrote beautiful songs that
show that while he stayed with the sheep, hour after hour, his
thoughts were about God and his goodness. It was thousands of
years ago that David lived, yet ever since that time people have
read and sung these songs, and we can read them now in that
part of the Bible called the Psalms. One of them begins, u The
Lord is my shepherd.» Perhaps you know it.
After David died, his son Solomon became king. He was very
rich, and knew so much that he has been called the wisest man
that ever lived. He built for the people a beautiful temple where
they could meet to worship God. When this temple was built
the people promised to always love and obey the God who had
been so good to them and to their fathers. If they had remem¬
bered this promise, and kept it, they would have been a strong
nation even now; but very soon they began to break Gods laws.
Some of them even began to pray to idols.
After King Solomon died things grew worse and worse, until
at last the Jews were conquered by other nations, their cities de¬
stroyed, and the people carried away to other countries. After a
time some were allowed to go back to Palestine to live, but there
has never been a real Jewish nation since that time, and that was
a great many years ago.
But the Jews kept up their courage; for their prophets had
4
INTRODUCTION
told them that they should have a king who should rule the
whole world, and who should reign for ever and ever. Prophets
are men who tell what is going to happen long before it does
come; they foretell things. We have men whom we call
weather-prophets. By studying the sky, the clouds, and the
winds, they can tell what sort of weather we are likely to have.
But these Jewish prophets talked with God, and he told them
what to foretell, so they never made any mistakes.
These prophets did not all live at one time; nor did they all
tell the same things about the king. One said he was to be born
in Bethlehem, and was to belong to Davids family. Another
said when he should be born; and others told something else
about his life. Still another said that before he came God would
send a great prophet, who would teach the people how to get
ready for the Christ, their king.
At the time of our story there had been no prophet for four
hundred years; but the Jews, remembering and believing what
the prophets had promised so long ago, were looking for their king.
For, if the prophets had spoken truly, it was almost time for him
to come. They had forgotten that some of the prophets had said
that the king was to be poor, and a man of sorrows. They ex¬
pected him to come in great power, and make them a strong free
nation again.
Although many Jews were now living in Palestine, they were
under the rule of the Homan Emperor. The Emperor had so
large a country that he could not look after it all himself; but
divided it into what were called provinces and appointed rulers
to take charge of them for him. The Jews did not like to obey
the Roman Emperor, they did not like the rulers who were sent
to them, and they did so long for their own strong king.
Herod, one of the Roman rulers, who was called a king, was
very much disliked, and he began to be afraid that he would lose
INTRODUCTION
5
his throne. So to please the Jews he built them a temple, even
more beautiful than the one which Solomon had built for them.
That one had been destroyed when the Jews were driven out of
their country, and the one which had been built when they had
returned was now so old that it was falling to pieces.
The temple was not much like our churches, nor was the ser¬
vice like ours. There was one building of two rooms. In the
smaller of these only the High Priest went, and only once a year.
In the other any priest could go.
Around this building were four large open spaces called
courts, separated from each other by walls. The one next the
building was for the priests alone; the next for the Jewish men;
the third for the Jewish women, and the fourth for all who were
not Jews. No one could go farther than the court in which he
belonged. When we speak of people going into the temple, we
mean they went into one of these courts.
The priests were the ministers, who did all the work of the
temple, and, took charge of the services. In those days the peo¬
ple did more than pray to God to forgive their sins. In the tem¬
ple was an altar, or sort of table covered with brass. On this
altar a fire was kept burning day and night. Twice every day a
lamb which had just been killed was burned on this altar, and
while it was burning the people prayed to God, asking him to
forgive their sins, and to destroy the memory of them as the fire
was destroying the lamb. This was called offering a sacrifice.
Another thing the priests did was to offer incense. Incense
was made of sweet spices, and was very fragrant. While it was
burning the people in the courts outside were praying that their
prayers might rise to God as sweet and pure and well pleasing as
the incense.
One day, just about the time that our story begins, the work
of burning the incense fell to the lot of a priest named Zacharias,
6
INTRODUCTION
who had a wife Elizabeth, but who had no children. Both were
very sorry for this, and often when they prayed, they asked God
to give them a little son.
On this day, as Zacharias alone in the temple was burning
the incense, and praying to God, he looked up and saw an angel of
the Lord standing at the right side of the altar. When Zacharias
saw him he was afraid. But the angel said: Do not be afraid,
Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; God will give you and Eliza¬
beth a baby boy, and you must call his name John. He will
bring you joy and gladness, and many other people will rejoice
that he is born. For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord,
and will turn many from their wicked ways, and teach them to
love God. This child is the one whom the prophets said would
come to make the world ready for the Christ.»
Zacharias could not believe what he heard, and asked, How
shall I know that what you say is true?» The angel answered,
«God sent me to tell you about it, and because you have not
believed my word you will not be able to speak again until the
day when it comes true.»
The people outside in the courts waited for Zacharias to come
back, and wondered why he stayed so long in the temple. When
he did come out he could not speak to them. They knew that
something had happened, for he made signs to them, but did not
speak. When his week of service was over he went to his home
in the hill country of Judea, and there, when the time came, the
baby boy was born.
Little Jewish children were not named until they were eight
days old. When it w r as time for this baby to be named, the
friends called him Zacharias, after his father. His mother said,
«No, he is to be called John.» The friends thought it was
strange to call him that, for no one in the family ever had that
name; and, too, it was the custom to call the first boy by his
INTRODUCTION
T
fathers name. They made signs to Zacharias, asking how he
would have him called. Zacharias asked for a writing tablet and
wrote, His name is John.»
The friends wondered still more when the father also chose
that name, but they soon had still greater reason for surprise.
Zacharias, who had not spoken for so long, began to talk again.
Would you like to know what he said first? He thanked God
for what had happened, and then told the friends who were with
them that the Christ, the promised king, was coming very soon,
and that this child of his was the prophet who would teach the
people about their king. This story was told all through the hill
country of Judea, and the people asked, What kind of a child
will he be?»
9
THE STORY OF JESUS THE CHRIST
THE BIRTH OF THE CHRIST
In Galilee, in the northern part of the Holy Land, is the
little town of Nazareth. In this town lived a beautiful young
woman, loving and gentle and pure. She was named Mary, and
was the cousin of Elizabeth.
A little while before John was born, as Mary was sitting
alone one spring day, the angel who was sent to Zacliarias came
to her and said, «God is very kind to you, Mary, for he has